Yemen, Houthis and Saudi Arabia
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Houthi-aanvallen op Saudi-Arabië en in de Bab el-Mandebstraat vormen een extra hindernis voor elke poging van de VS om zich uit oorlogen in het Midden-Oosten terug te trekken.
More than 76,000 people in Yemen have fled their homes amid escalating fighting with Houthi militants in the country's southwestern coast.
By Humeyra Pamuk, Simon Lewis and Matt Spetalnick WASHINGTON, Sept 12 (Reuters) - A lightning offensive by the Iran-aligned Houthis has put the militants in a position to control a crucial Middle East waterway,
Perim Island sits in the Bab al- Mandeb Strait, a globally important maritime chokepoint at the mouth of the Red Sea.
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Yemen’s Iranian-backed Houthis seize an island in a key strait, opening a new front in the Iran war
The Houthis’ biggest territorial gains in years, along the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, could boost Iran’s strategy of driving up world oil and gas prices to pressure the United States.
A strategic location on the Red Sea afforded the city centuries of trading dominance — and makes it a coveted target in today’s fighting in the Middle East.
Iraq’s government is racing to contain the fallout after confirming that attacks on a Saudi pipeline, blamed on Iran-backed militias, came from its territory.
Rebel fighters are reported to have captured Perim, a strategic island on a vital international shipping route.
The Bab el-Mandeb at the southern end of the Red Sea is especially important to neighboring Saudi Arabia, a key U.S. ally, whose blockade of the Houthis has fed into the rebels’ escalating attacks on Saudi shipping as the kingdom tries to get its oil out of the region. About 12% of the world’s goods are typically shipped through the strait.
The internationally recognized government of Yemen is eager to beat back the Houthis and retake the entire country. But for several years that prospect had seemed out of reach. The government depends heavily on Saudi Arabia for financial and military support, and Saudi Arabia did not want another war with the Houthis.
Two of the most important corridors for international energy shipments are blocked by Iran and its proxies, oil prices are up and the global economy is reeling.